Incline Management Plan Draft Environmental Assessment
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United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Incline Management Plan Final Environmental Assessment Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Washoe County, Nevada June 2018 For more information, contact: Ashley Sibr Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit 35 College Dr. South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 Phone: (530) 543-2615 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) To File an Employment Complaint If you wish to file an employment complaint, you must contact your agency's EEO Counselor (PDF) within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act, event, or in the case of a personnel action. Additional information can be found online at www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_file.html. To File a Program Complaint If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), found online at www.ascr.usda.gov/ complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at [email protected]. Persons with Disabilities Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities and wish to file either an EEO or program complaint please contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish). Persons with disabilities, who wish to file a program complaint, please see information above on how to contact us by mail directly or by email. If you require alternative means of communication for program information (for example, Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). Incline Management Plan Project Draft Environmental Assessment i Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ ii Acronyms................................................................................................................... iv Project Summary ........................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1 – Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Document Structure .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Background ............................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Proposed Action Summary ....................................................................................... 6 1.4 Location ..................................................................................................................... 7 1.5 Purpose and Need for Action and Desired Condition ............................................... 7 1.6 Decision Framework.................................................................................................. 8 1.7 Public Involvement .................................................................................................... 9 1.8 Issues ......................................................................................................................... 9 1.9 Laws, Regulations, and Policies ............................................................................... 10 1.10 Permits and Coordination ..................................................................................... 13 Chapter 2 - Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action ............................................ 14 2.1 No Action – Alternative 1 ........................................................................................ 14 2.2 Proposed Action – Alternative 2 ............................................................................. 14 2.3 Changes from Scoping Comments .......................................................................... 20 2.4 Design Features ....................................................................................................... 22 2.5 Summary of Environmental Consequences ............................................................ 32 Chapter 3 - Environmental Consequences .................................................................. 34 3.0 Assumptions ............................................................................................................ 34 3.1 Forest Plan Amendment ......................................................................................... 35 3.2 Recreation Resources .............................................................................................. 43 3.3 Vegetation Resources .............................................................................................. 48 3.4 Hydrology and Soils ................................................................................................. 51 3.5 Heritage Resources ................................................................................................. 55 3.6 Botanical Resources and Invasive Plants................................................................. 57 3.7 Terrestrial Wildlife ................................................................................................... 63 3.8 Aquatic Wildlife Resources...................................................................................... 68 3.9 Scenic Resources ..................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 4 – Coordination and Consultation ............................................................... 79 4.1 Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Interdisciplinary Team .................................. 79 4.2 Federal, State, and Local Agencies .......................................................................... 79 4.3 Tribal Coordination.................................................................................................. 79 4.4 Individuals ............................................................................................................... 80 4.5 Organizations .......................................................................................................... 81 Appendix A: Hydrology, Soil and Water Protection BMPS ........................................... 83 Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the Incline Management Plan Project .......... 83 Appendix B: Invasive Plants Management Plan .......................................................... 86 Management Requirements for Invasive Plants of Management Concern .................. 86 Preferred Invasive Plant Treatment Methods ............................................................... 88 Incline Management Plan Project Draft Environmental Assessment ii Species Not Currently Known on Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit ....................... 93 Species Managed on Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, But Not Always Treated .. 94 Aquatic Invasive Plants: ................................................................................................ 95 Summary of All Approved Treatment Methods under the 2010 Terrestrial Invasive Plant Species Treatment Project ................................................................................... 95 Herbicides Analyzed for Use on LTBMU under the 2010 Terrestrial Invasive Plant Species Treatment Project ............................................................................................ 97 Resource Protection Measures for All Treatment Methods under the 2010 Terrestrial Invasive Plant Species Treatment Project ..................................................................... 97 Appendix C: Projects Considered for Cumulative Effects .......................................... 103 Past Projects Considered for Cumulative Effects Analysis .......................................... 103 Present and Ongoing Projects Considered for Cumulative Effects Analysis ............... 103 Reasonably Foreseeable Future Projects Considered for Cumulative Effects Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 103 Appendix D: Suitable Uses by Management Area in the Forest Plan ......................... 104 Incline Management Plan Project Draft Environmental Assessment iii Acronyms Acronym Definition ABA Architectural Barriers Act BA/BE Biological Assessment/Biological Evaluation BEIG Built Environment Image Guide BMPs Best Management Rractices BMPEP Best Management Practice Evaluation Program Caltrans California Department of Transportation CAR Critical Aquatic Refuge CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CLM California Land Management CO Carbon Monoxide CWA